Hey Reader! Last week, a friend pointed out that all religions have one thing in common: angels. Angels appear as helpers and messengers. They signal that we're not alone. And the best part is they don't all wear wings. We're all surrounded by flesh and blood angels. How do you know your angels? They appear when you need them. They help when you ask. They make everything better, just by being there. Call in your angels. Especially if these uncertain times have you feeling vulnerable and...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! If you've managed to escape the hysteria surrounding the current US election, congratulations! If you haven't, you have my condolences. Because we're locked into a narrative reinforced by media and hysterical voices from both sides insisting the world might end if the other side wins. The truth is that no matter which side wins, life will go on. No matter what happens, we will remain ourselves. So, center yourself. Take a deep breath. And surround yourself with people and things...
15 days ago • 1 min read
ARE YOU IN THE ATLANTA AREA?CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR MY NOV. 7 EVENT Hey Reader! Over the summer, my brother and I disagreed on something. After arguing for longer than either of us wanted to, he said, "You have a point, but you're never going to change my mind." It was frustrating to hear. But it was true. Once his mind was made up, no amount of facts, persuasive arguments, or appeals to common decency would change it. If you've been arguing until you're blue in the face, stop. We can't go...
23 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Three blind men in the same room were asked to describe the animal living there. The first took hold of a long, skinny piece of flesh. He insisted the animal he touched was similarly shaped. The second wrapped his arms around a leg so vast that he reported grappling with a dinosaur-sized creature. Writhing coils ensnared the hands of the third. “I’m holding a snake!” he asserted. Three very different truths were born from a single experience: touching an elephant. But the men...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! Beloved stories have happy endings, good music comes to a satisfying resolution — but that’s art. Life doesn’t resolve until death. So when we expect a resolution — to know how they feel, to understand why they did that — we’re going to end up disappointed. There is no resolution. And that’s the point. We’re not meant to neatly close a chapter and then begin another. We carry our past with us like a blanket until we shake it off. Sometimes it chokes; other times it comforts. We...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Stress limits our ability to maintain balance. When we give in to feeling overwhelmed, we amplify that feeling until we feel at a breaking point. And then something breaks us. What happens when you break? Do you cry? Do you lash out at others? Do you withdraw? Do you feel frozen? Do you try to push it all down and manufacture the passion you need to keep pressing forward? We’re not meant to keep going until we burst apart. But when we amplify our feelings of being overwhelmed,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Thursday night, I hunkered down with friends to weather a potentially devastating storm. Friday morning we awoke, blessedly unharmed. But many weren’t so lucky. I heard from friends and family, driven from their homes. Days later, they’re still unhoused, cooking on camping stoves and living without things we take for granted, like electricity and gasoline. The storm washed homes, cities, and entire towns off the map. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to lose everything. But...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! We like to think our lives are novel and that no one has ever experienced what we do now. However, the truth is that only technology and tools change. People react and behave similarly, repeating the same social patterns throughout time. The dominant pattern is a struggle between idealists who want progress and the entrenched defenders of the status quo. This happens every generation. That means the status quo being defended is usually only a generation or two old. And it’s being...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! I reached a boiling point this week. And, yes, it had to do with social media. A neighbor invited me to a private group for our community, so I accepted. I quickly wished I hadn’t. Every time I logged on there was a new notification, often from the same person. The posts and comments were an endless stream of negativity and suspicion. I just wanted it to stop. Then I realized stopping the noise was within my power. I couldn’t stop them from posting negative and suspicious content....
2 months ago • 1 min read